Five ways to identify clean meat

In the current situation of toxic foods appearing on the market, housewives can rely on the criteria for choosing meat provided by agricultural engineer Tran Manh Chien, consultant of Bac Tom Agricultural Supply Chain, to ensure the safety of their family's health.

Consumers should equip themselves with knowledge to recognize dirty meat. Photo: Chi Cuong

Red meat soaked in chemicals?

Engineer Tran Manh Chien said that the red meat that appeared in Ha Tinh was not spoiled meat, because spoiled meat would be detected immediately after eating. The results will have to wait for the authorities to conduct tests and announce. However, looking at the meat preservation process and the red color that appeared later on the meat, there are two possibilities: it was caused by bacteria or by chemical marinade.

The most likely reason is that the meat is preserved with chemicals because when the meat is preserved in a suitable temperature environment (also preserved in the refrigerator but some families keep it at 5 degrees Celsius, some families keep it at 10 degrees Celsius), bacteria grow and develop, thus creating a certain amount of waste.

Bacterial waste and nutrients on the meat discolor the meat, causing the red color we have seen. However, in this case, the amount of red on the meat appears too much, too concentrated because the chemical reaction is often stronger than the bacteria.

In the consumer market, we still hear a lot about the source of meat from the border flowing into Vietnam through unofficial channels. It is a source of confusion for housewives. The confusion is well-founded, because the nature of this type of meat entering the Vietnamese market is industrial meat that is discarded because it does not meet the standards of other countries. A survey by reporters shows that this type of meat is very cheap, bought at wholesale markets for only about 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg. Beef is only about 50,000 VND/kg. Duck eggs are only about 50,000 VND/60 eggs, chicken is about 30,000 VND/kg...

According to Engineer Tran Manh Chien, to preserve fresh food, there is currently no other way in the world to preserve food other than freezing. If it is to be preserved for more than two days, it must be transferred to the freezer, if it is to be preserved for less than two days, it must be stored in the refrigerator's refrigerator compartment.

Meat from across the border to Vietnam, if following the correct procedure, must be stored in stone containers. To preserve it properly like that would be expensive, while this type of meat is so cheap that it is possible that they have used chemicals to preserve the food, to avoid spoilage and odor.

Be a smart housewife

Engineer Tran Manh Chien said that in the current situation of toxic food on the market, housewives can rely on the following criteria to choose clean meat, ensuring the health of the whole family:

Based on senses: Make sure the meat is fresh, the meat fibers are firm, and the elasticity is good (if not frozen). Looking at the lean meat, the pork must be bright pink. The fat should be shiny, white but not pure white, not opaque, not yellow...

Elasticity: To know if the meat is clean, you can check by pressing on the meat with your hand to check the elasticity. Both the fat and lean parts must have good elasticity. If the meat feels soft when pressed, it is old meat or the pig has been fed industrial feed.

Smell to know the taste: In terms of taste, fresh meat only has the usual fishy smell of raw meat... When you detect a strange smell, it is old meat that is infected with bacteria or meat that has been preserved with chemicals.

You should buy meat at reputable stores and supermarkets to know the origin. When buying meat from these systems, consumers should check the origin of the pigs, and which unit or individual raised them. If you are careful, you should go to the pig farm to learn about the farming process there.

Smuggled pork: To identify smuggled meat, consumers should rely on the following points: pale meat color, soft meat mass, no elasticity when pressed... "Regarding food sources in Ha Tinh, in addition to sending meat samples for testing, authorities should also investigate to know where the meat is sourced from, because it is very possible that smuggled meat is sold at wholesale markets today," said engineer Chien.

According to GiadinhNet